Tales From Another Broken Home
by Sheena Is A Punk Rocker
Summary: used to be Kimmy's Dead Giveaway. Thanx for every1 that gave me story ideas! Anyway, basically Casey gets a new stepsister. Cammy! Read and Review! Next chapter'll explain Casey and Kimmy's sudden emoness...
1. This Is Who I Am

SAMMY KEYES

"Sweetie. Time to wake up," my mom said, shaking me gently.

"I'm too lazy," I said rolling over on my side. It was Saturday and I was too tired to get up.

My mom got up and left the room and waited for me to wake up. I got up ten minutes later and got dressed.

You may be wondering who I am. My name's Kimmy but I hate that name. Well, it's better than my full name. I have brown hair and green eyes and I'm really short. I hate being short. Anyway, my life's changed dramatically in just a few months! My parents are divorced and my dad moved to the UK. While my mom took me and moved to a town pretty close to the one we live in now, Santa Martina. My mom met this guy named Warren Acosta like three months ago and they just got married like three days ago! And now my mom and I have moved into his house with his son, Casey.

Casey's actually a pretty cool stepbrother. We have a lot in common, like we both like skateboarding, riding bikes, music, that sort of stuff. I've started to teach him guitar and I gave him my old acoustic guitar. I've been playing guitar for the last three years and I named one of my electric guitars (my Fender stratocaster) BJ, after Billie Joe Armstrong, guitarist and lead singer of the band Green Day. They're my favorite band. Oh, and I named my other guitar (my Fender telecaster) Casey. Wait! That sounded odd, didn't it? I know what you're thinking and no, I didn't name it after Casey my stepbrother. I named it after Casey Calvert, screamer and 1 guitarist of the band Hawthorne Heights. They're my second favorite band.

Now, Casey and I may have a lot in common but that's not the case with his sister, Heather, and me. I _hate_ her! She's mean, stuck up, and thinks that she's popular! She makes fun of anyone that wears high-tops, which would be me. I've gotten in trouble before for punching her. Casey always sticks up for me around Heather so that's another reason why he's a cool stepbrother. I'm kind of nervous about going to school on Monday. Heather's most likely was going to be in most of my classes. I'm in seventh grade and still twelve. I'm not going to be thirteen for another four months! Heather also has to go on about how she's one year older than me. She thinks that just because she's thirteen and I'm still twelve that she can control me! Too bad Casey's fourteen and in eighth grade.

I walked downstairs and saw my mom and Casey in the kitchen. Casey was sitting at the table and my mom was busy making breakfast. Oh great! She was making us eat as a family! I usually just grab a pop tart and go up to my room. I sat next to Casey at the table and said, "Morning Casey." Casey was the only other person in the house because Warren was at an audition. He's an actor. Well, Casey is too but for now he's only really in plays with his dad or he does school stuff.

"Morning Kimmy," he told me and smiled. If you know Casey Acosta, you know that he smiles almost constantly! I think he stops smiling only when he's around his wacky sister and mom. Seriously, if it weren't for their red hair, you'd never know that Casey and Heather were related! Well, Casey actually has reddish brown hair while Heather has bright red hair. I wonder why Warren and Candi (Casey and Heather's weird mom. She scares me because she acts just like Heather!) ever got married!

My mom brought a plate of pancakes to the table and sat down. We ate in silence for a minute before my mom tried to start up a conversation. She asked me, "So, sweetie. You excited about school on Monday?"

I was tired so I just yawned and said, "No."

Casey laughed and said, "You're not an morning person, are you?"

"Yep. I hate getting up early!" My mom and I are really different. She's a lot girlier and she wakes up much earlier than me.

My mom turned back to Casey and asked him, "So what's your school like?"

Casey thought for a minute before saying, "Well, there's not really a whole lot to say about William Rose Junior High. It's just a normal school." He thought for a few more seconds and then continued, "Well, I guess the students aren't exactly normal."

"I'll fit in great!" I said. Most people think I'm really weird. And that's true too.

My mom asked Casey another question. She asked, "Casey. What're your friends like?"

"I don't really hang out with anyone. My best friend used to be Taylor Briggs but it turns out that he's a drug addict so we stopped hanging out."

I thought about that. Casey used to be friends with a drug addict! Scary! Well, at least I wouldn't have to worry about Taylor if he and Casey didn't hang out anymore.

Casey was talking again. "Hey! I know that Kimmy's gonna be new and all but I already know that she'll get along with one of my friends!"

"Who?" I asked curiously.

"Sammy! You two have a lot in common!" Casey told me about Sammy and I swear that he was grinning the whole time! Is it just me or does Casey Acosta have a little crush on Sammy Keyes? Hmmm. I wonder. Casey's not very good at hiding this kind of stuff. Anyway, it turns out that Casey was right! Sammy and I did have a lot in common. That's kind of a first.

After breakfast, I went back up to my room and fell asleep until about noon. That's the usual time for me. After I got up, I decided to play guitar. I took out my guitar, BJ, and started playing.

As soon as I finished "Hitchin' A Ride" by Green Day, I heard a knock on the door. "Come in!" I called.

The door opened and Casey stepped into my room. He grinned and said, "Hey Kimmy!"

"Hey Casey. What're you doing here?"

"Your mom just told me to tell you that I'm gonna have to watch you tonight. Your mom and my dad are going out."

"Okay," I said. Since Casey's older, he always ends up being in charge when my mom and Warren go out. I was glad that Casey hadn't said babysitting because he's only two years older than me. "Thanks for not saying babysitting."

He shrugged and said, "Your mom said I'd be babysitting but that didn't make much sense 'cause I'm only two years older than you." He grinned and added, "And I'm like two feet taller!"

I laughed and threw a pillow at him while I said, "Shut up Casey!"

He caught my pillow and threw it back. He laughed, "Well it's true!"

He had a point. He _is _like two heads taller than me because I'm so short. Man, I hate being short! I put my guitar away and asked Casey, "Why are you _always _right?"

"I'm just smarter," he replied with a grin.

I snorted, "Yeah right!"

"I'm just stating the facts," my stepbrother said with a shrug. "Well, I'm gonna go back to my room." He walked out the door.

I got up from my bed and turned on my CD player. I put on a Bayside CD and flopped down on my bed.

At around 7 o'clock, Warren and my mom went out for dinner. My mom said, "Okay. Well, you guys be careful, you know how to contact us. We'll be back before ten and I made macaroni and cheese." Casey and I grinned because we both put salsa in our macaroni and cheese. I didn't even know that anyone else did that but Casey's weird when it comes to food. Well, I am too but Casey's come up with better stuff. Anyway, my mom thought of something else to say. "Oh and Kimmy, listen to Casey. Casey, Kimmy's bedtime is nine thirty."

Casey and I smiled at each other and rolled out eyes when my mom wasn't looking because one- my mom was being totally overprotective as usual and two- Casey always lets me stay up late! And Warren knows about it! Sweet, huh? My mom gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and then she walked out the door with Warren following her.

When Casey and I heard our parents drive off we raced each other to the kitchen. I won because I got a head start. I got the salsa out of the refrigerator and Casey got the plates and mac 'n' cheese. We sat at the table and mixed in the salsa. My mom thinks that putting salsa in macaroni and cheese is just plain disgusting but it's _good_! I've also been known to put ketchup in my mac 'n' cheese. Yes, I know what you're thinking. Gross! But it's actually really good!

After Casey and I finished eating, we just sat at the table until I said, "So, what od you wanna do now?"

Casey shrugged but then said, "Wanna watch a movie?"

"Sure!" I followed Casey to the living room and the first thing I saw was the _Star Wars _trilogy on DVD. "STAR WARS!"

Casey picked it up and asked, "Wanna watch it?"

I nodded like crazy so Casey laughed and put it in the DVD player. I walked back into the kitchen to make popcorn. I walked back into the living room about three minutes later with the popcorn and sat down next to Casey on the couch. He hit play and my favorite movie of all time started. I really got into the movie. I started saying all the lines. Surprisingly, Casey just looked at me and then went back to watching the movie. Most people would tell me to shut up.

About halfway through _A New Hope_ I got kind of hyper and threw a piece of popcorn at my older stepbrother.

He said, "Hey!" And then he threw a bunch of popcorn at me. This started a huge popcorn fight! We completely forgot about the movie and just tried to avoid popcorn. I ended up hitting Casey more than he hit me! Sweet!

After about fifteen minutes, the living room was a mess! I said while still laughing, "This is gonna take a while to clean up!"

"Better get started!" Casey said with a grin.

Casey and I cleaned up our mess and then went back to watching the movie. At around nine thirty, Casey pointed out that our parents would be home soon and I was supposed to be asleep. I got ready for bed and then listened to music until I fell asleep. I heard my mom come in to see if I was asleep. She didn't even suspect that I was up later than I was supposed to! This is how it usually is when Casey and I are home alone. And Warren's the only adult that knows about it. He hasn't told my mom because then she'd probably ground me. When my mom and Warren got married, I thought that it would be too much change for me but now that I think about it, all the changes that I've had to make haven't been as bad as I expected.


	2. New Kid

CH 2- NEW KID

Sunday for me kind of went by in a blur. Before I knew it, my alarm clock was going off on Monday morning and I had to get up for my first day of school. And I was nervous too! I was sitting in bed lost in my own thoughts when I realized that my alarm clock was still beeping. I have the most annoying alarm clock ever! I got up and turned it off because my mom moved it across the room so that I wouldn't go back to sleep when I turned it off.

Once my alarm clock was off, I went over to my closet and put on a pair of old, ratty jeans. They had a hole in the left knee with a Green Day patch sewn over it. I had a Hawthorne Heights patch ironed on the other knee. My jeans were frayed at the ends because when I first got them they were too long. I knew my mom hated them but they're my favorites so I'm wearing them. After I put on the jeans, I put on a green Green Day shirt that I'd gotten at my first concert and put on a thick black Hawthorne Heights zip-up hoodie over it. I love this hoodie. I grabbed a pair of socks from my drawer and put them on.

After I was dressed, I yawned, stretched, and went downstairs. Really slowly too I might add. I was super tired. I walked into the kitchen, planning on just grabbing a pop tart and going back up to my room but instead my mom had made me eggs and toast. I sat down at the table and tried to eat something. I was so nervous that I could barely take one bite!

Casey came downstairs a minute later, grabbed a blueberry muffin, and sat down next to me. He gets a muffin and I don't? That's messed up! I love muffins! He said, "Morning Kimmy," and grinned.

"Morning Casey," I said.

Casey must've noticed my nervousness because he said, "There's nothing to worry about. Well, unless you count Heather but you know how to deal with her."

"Yeah but I'm still gonna be a new kid. And Heather's not gonna make it any easier for me."

"Well, I know. But I also know that Holly was a new kid and she fit in okay. She's one of Sammy's friends."

I just nodded. Pretty soon, my mom told Casey and me to hurry up and get ready. The bus was coming soon. Yep, I have to take the bus to and from school now. Casey and I raced upstairs and I brushed my teeth, brushed my hair and put it in a ponytail and then grabbed my camouflage print Converse high-tops from my room and raced downstairs. I sat down on the couch and put my shoes on. Casey was already ready. I grabbed my black backpack covered in my silver writing (it has like a million band names on it. I write band names on stuff when I'm bored) and followed Casey out the door. We got to the bus stop just in time and got on the bus. I sat near the back and Casey sat behind me. I don't remember anything else up until we got to school because I fell asleep… again. Don't ask what it is with me but I tend to fall asleep on car rides and bus rides.

Before I knew it, Casey was shaking me. "Kimmy. We're at school now."

I opened my eyes and yawned before following Casey off the bus. And as soon as I was off that school bus, I got nervous all over again. I followed Casey to the front office and got my new schedule and Casey showed me where my homeroom was. My homeroom teacher was someone named Mrs. Ambler. When we got to the classroom, Casey starting talking to someone named Marissa. After a minute, he turned to me and said, "Kimmy. This is Marissa. She has a lot of the same classes as you so if you have any questions, just ask her." Then he waved at me, grinned, and walked out the door.

Marissa smiled at me and said, "So your Casey's stepsister?"

I nodded. And gave Marissa a small smile. I asked her, "Is Heather in this homeroom?"

Marissa scowled and said, "Unfortunately."

"Oh no. Man! She always goes on about how she's one year older than me! It's so annoying! I've punched her before and gotten in trouble."

"She deserved it!" Marissa suddenly looked around the room. "Where's Sammy? She's never late."

"Casey told me about Sammy and according to him, we have a lot in common which I find hard to believe."

Marissa laughed and said, "You probably are a lot like Sammy. She's my best friend and we've known each other since third grade!"

The tardy bell rang and Mrs. Ambler walked in the room. Marissa ran to her desk and I just stood at the front of the classroom. I saw heather up near the front and glared at her. Mrs. Ambler stood next to me and said with a smile, "You must be Kimmy!"

I nodded and she said, "Hmmm. You can sit right behind Marissa." She pointed at a desk and I walked over and sat down. Marissa turned her head and grinned at me. I grinned back. Marissa seemed nice enough.

Mrs. Ambler looked over at this cage where a bird was. She said something about one of her birds missing and she accused Heather! Perfect! I don't really know the whole story because I tuned out. Before I knew it, the bell rang and I followed Marissa out the door. When we were out of the classroom, she introduced me to one of her friends, Holly. Holly was really nice. And when Marissa and I were on our way to our next class, a girl ran up to us. She was a little taller than me. Well everyone is. Anyway, she had brown hair and was wearing jeans that were almost as ratty as mine, and a t-shirt. I assumed she was Sammy. And I was right. She told Marissa that she overslept.

Marissa said, "Oh yeah! Sammy. This is Kimmy. She's Casey's stepsister!"

I waved and smiled at Sammy who grinned back. She said, "Hi!"

I replied with probably the most random comment ever. "Why am I the only person wearing a hoodie?"

Marissa and Sammy laughed and the three of us started walking again. Marissa said, "Well it is the beginning of summer."

And then Sammy added, "Why are you wearing a jacket anyway?"

I shrugged. "What can I say? I love hoodies!"

We got to our next class, which happened to be history. I new instantly, that this class would be boring. The teacher, Mr. Holgartner makes no sense half the time. Plus, since I sit up front, I've noticed just how much he smells! I was glad to get out of history. My next class was math. Sammy had the same class so I walked with her. I noticed that she seemed really nervous about something. I don't know what but it was something.

After math, Sammy and I had English and then lunch. I had packed my lunch so I sat outside with Sammy, Holly, and someone else while Marissa bought her lunch. Sammy and Holly told me that their friend was Dot. She was really nice. Dot asked me, "What's it like being Casey and Heather's stepsister?"

"Well, luckily, I live with Casey and his dad. I only have to see Heather once in a while but she still scares me! And Casey's just weird most if the time. Then again, I am too so yeah."

Holly asked me, "What do you like to do?"

"Skateboard, play guitar, listen to Rock music, obsess over Green Day and Hawthorne Heights, stare at pictures of Green Day and Casey Calvert from Hawthorne Heights 'til I lose focus. And um, that's really it!" I laughed.

I saw Heather sitting at another table outside and got a brilliant idea. I'd packed some popcorn in my lunch. I said, "Hey guys! Watch this!" Then picked up a piece of popcorn and took aim. It hit Heather's head and she turned around. I looked innocent while everyone else cracked up! Heather must've suspected that it was me because she glared at me and walked over to the table.

"Loser," she said. "I know you hit me with something."

"And your point…?"

Heather rolled her eyes.

And that's when I started singing "Chump" by Green Day. "I don't you, but I think I hate you. You're the reason for my misery."

Heather walked off at this point because that's how she knows that if she doesn't shut up and leave me alone, she's gonna get punched by me again. As soon as she was out of earshot, I cracked up!

So far, this new school's been okay. I made new friends, Heather hasn't bothered me, and for the most part, my teachers are nice. I got through the rest of the day and I was soon asleep on the bus ride home. When Casey and I got home, I told him about my day. And you know what he said? "I told you there was nothing to worry about!"

I laughed, "As much as I hate to admit it. You were right!"

"What'd I tell you? I'm smarter!" He grinned.

"Shut up Casey!" I told you he's kind of weird most of the time.

So, I guess I'm pretty much used to being in a new school and all that. Plus I only have one more month before summer break! But I still don't know if I'll ever get used to being Heather's stepsister. I've gotten used to Casey but at least I have stuff in common with him! Well, for now I have to finish my homework before my mom comes home!

DISCLAIMER: Wendelin Van Drannen owns pretty much everything. But Kimmy's my character and the song "Chump" belongs to the awesome band Green Day!

A/N: So, What'd you guys think? I just want to know who your favorite Sammy Keyes character is because I'm weird. Just makes sure to include that when you review. Well, R/R! PLEASE! I'll try to update soon!


	3. The Truth

CH 3- THE TRUTH

I got my homework done in about an hour with Casey's help. When we were both done with our homework, we raced downstairs, grabbed our skateboards, and rode around Sisquane for a while. We were out for about an hour before we headed home. When we got back, my mom was already there and she looked mad!

"Where have you been?" She screamed when Casey and I walked through the front door.

"Skateboarding around the neighborhood," I replied.

"Well I didn't know that! You weren't here when I came home! Something could've happened to you!"

"Mom! I'm fine!" Seriously, my mom is _way _to overprotective! She's been treating me like a little kid for years. It's really annoying. I added, "plus Casey was with me. It's not like I was alone."

My mom said, "Well, you could still have written a note!" Just then the garage door opened and Warren came in.

Warren asked, "What's going on here?" He must've heard my mom.

My mom said, "Kimmy and Casey were out skateboarding and I came home and saw that Kimmy wasn't home. I started panicking."

I didn't want to hear another word! I mean, my mom panics whenever I leave her sight at the mall! I hate that she's treating me like a little kid. I walked past my mom and glared at her before walking upstairs to my room.

I closed my bedroom door and put a CD in my CD player (Bayside, by the way). Then I turned the volume up really loud and sat on my bed. Listening to my CD calms me down as it always does.

While the music was up pretty loud, I still heard a knock on my door. I turned off my CD player and then walked over to the door. I hesitated before opening it. I hoped that it wasn't my mom because I didn't really feel like talking. I finally opened my door and saw Casey. I asked, "what're you doing here?"

He shrugged and said, "you seemed kinda upset after what happened with your mom."

"She's always treating me like a little kid, she's too overprotective, and she never listens to me! It's annoying!"

"Do you need someone to talk to about it?"

I nodded and Casey stepped into my messy room. I hate cleaning it, so I don't. I closed the door again and sat down on my bed. Casey sat down at my desk, where my computer is. I sighed and said, "I just really hate how my mom treats me like a little kid. She hasn't always been like this either. She never used to be so overprotective."

"Really?" Casey asked.

I looked up at him. "I think it has something to do with what happened between my parents."

Casey didn't ask any questions. I think he was nervous about asking so I said, "the reason my parent got divorced was because of me." I looked down so Casey wouldn't see me crying.

Casey finally asked, "what are you talking about?"

I took a deep breath and said, "my dad's abusive. He used to hit me a lot but my mom never knew about it and I was afraid to tell her. But once, she came home from work early and my dad was hitting me because I failed my math test. They had a really big fight and eventually got divorced. My dad was in jail but got released and moved to the UK." I started sobbing and Casey got up and walked over to my bed and sat down next to me. He gave me a hug and let me cry on his shoulder. I have never told anyone that story! I can't believe I just told Casey.

I stopped crying a few minutes later. Casey asked me, "feeling better?"

I nodded and wiped my eyes. I gave Casey a small smile. My mom called Casey and me down for dinner and we both stood up and walked downstairs. We were walking downstairs when I said, "thanks for listening to me."

Casey grinned. "No problem."

The next day at school was almost exactly like the first. I acted all happy and acted like I forgot what I told Casey last night. He didn't tell anyone either. Well, the day was a little different but for the most part, not really. I walked to homeroom and saw Holly, Sammy, and Marissa. I walked up to them. "What happened?" I asked.

Marissa said, "Mrs. Ambler found Tango!"

"Who?"

"Her bird…?"

"Oh right! I tuned out yesterday."

I noticed that Sammy seemed nervous again. I wondered why. Hmmm. Well, I'll let her keep it to herself. The bell rang finally and I walked with Marissa to our next class and that's when she said, "guess what!"

"What?" I asked.

"Do you know Danny Urbanski?"

"Um didn't you point him out at lunch yesterday?"

"Yeah! Anyway, he asked me to the Farewell Dance!"

"He did?" That was a surprise!

Marissa nodded. "Uh-huh! And Casey's gonna ask Sammy!"

"You're kidding! I mean, I've already suspected that he likes her but he's asking her to the dance?"

"Yep! And it's pretty obvious that Sammy likes him too." Marissa told me about Sammy obvious crush on my stepbrother but how she denies it. It was actually a pretty interesting story. We got to history where Sammy already was.

I walked past her desk and I asked, "did Casey ask you to the dance?"

"How'd you know?" She asked looking alarmed.

I shrugged, "Marissa told me."

Sammy turned her head and glared at Marissa before telling me, "yeah he asked me. But just as friends!" She added quickly.

I smiled, "Right. Sure Sammy. Whatever you say!"

"Shut up Kimmy!" Sammy said, laughing.

I grinned one more time before walking to my desk. The Farewell Dance was going to be _really _interesting.

DISCLAIMER: Do I _look _like Wendelin Van Drannan? I didn't think so. Everything you recognize, I don't own.

A/N: So, what'd you guys think? R/R! I need feedback!


	4. The Date?

CH 4

Lunch today was actually really interesting too. Casey came and hung out with Sammy, Marissa, Holly, Dot, and me. Marissa told me later that that was usual. Anyway, he just came over to the table and started talking to Sammy. I knew it! He likes her!

A few minutes later, Casey turned to me, "Were you the 1 who threw all that stuff at Heather?" I had been throwing a bunch of random stuff to annoy her. She was too stupid to figure out it was me.

I grinned and said, "Yep!"

Casey and I did our secret handshake that we made up like a month ago and then Casey said with a grin, "Sweet!"

"Watch out. You're next!" I said and threw a Snapple cap at Casey. It hit him in the head.

"Hey!" He said with a laugh. "No fair!"

"Well you do that to me a lot too!"

"Oh yeah. Good point."

By now, Sammy, Marissa, Holly, and Dot were staring at Casey and me. The two of us just laughed because this happens a lot. Trust me… _a lot_! But by now, Casey and I are used to it.

So, lunch was really weird and I was thinking about how obvious it is that Casey likes Sammy. Sometimes I wonder if anyone likes me. I highly doubt it. Marissa and Sammy introduced me to Billy Pratt today too. He's really crazy but he's also funny… and nice.

On the bus ride home, I started teasing Casey. It started with me saying, "You like Sammy, huh?"

He looked nervous for a second and then said really fast, "No I don't!" And I swear he was blushing! It's very rare that you see Casey Acosta get embarrassed. And this sure was one of those rare moments.

My evil grin just got wider as I said, "Oh don't lie Casey! It's obvious that you like her."

"I don't!" He insisted with his usual grin.

"Yeah right."

"I'm serious!"

"Then why'd you give her a mini horseshoe for her birthday?" I raised an eyebrow and stared at Casey, waiting for an answer.

He asked, "She told you about that?"

"I noticed the horseshoe and Marissa and Dot told me the story."

Casey was silent for like a minute before whispering, "I like her."

My eyes got wide. "Seriously?"

Casey nodded. "She didn't even know me when I started liking her."

"Dude. No offense, but that's just creepy."

"Well, you weren't here at the beginning of the year. By the end of September, she was well known throughout the school. She punched Heather in the nose!"

"Sweet!" I smiled. And just as the bus stopped and Casey and I got off I said, "I can't believe you like her!" And then ran for it!

Casey grinned and started chasing me down the street. "Get back here Kimmy!"

"You're never gonna catch me!" I shouted over my shoulder. And guess what. Casey caught up to me!

"Got you!" He said as he picked me up to prevent me from running anymore. That's normal. He was laughing his head off! I got away from him a minute later.

"You'd better run," I said with an evil grin. Casey started running as fast as he could and I started chasing him until we got to the house.

And once we got there, Casey stopped and said, "Wait… this isn't _my _house!" He was talking like Sora from the flash movie, _The Kingdom Heart Chronicles_.

I laughed and opened the door. "Dude. You've been watching _way _too many flash movies!"

I finished my homework pretty quickly. And then at dinner I said, "So, Casey. Are dances at school actually any fun?"

"No. But this one will be." He smiled. "Me, Sammy, Marissa, Danny, Nick, Olivia, Billy and 'his harem' are gonna be going in a limo!"

"Are you serious? You'd better take me with you!"

Casey laughed. "You'll see."

I just rolled my eyes. "I can't believe you just told me about this."

"Actually I just remembered."

"Yeah right!"

Warren and my mom were staring at Casey and me now. See, I told you it happened a lot.

I went to bed a little earlier than usual. I don't know why. I was just really tired.

I was unusually hyper on the morning according to Casey. He actually had a point. Well, that's a first.

Lunch was extremely weird today. Billy came over to our table and started talking to me! _Me_! He just came up, sat next to me and said, "Hey Kimmy!"

"Hi Billy," I said.

After that he started a conversation and didn't leave until lunch was over. Then he said, "See you in seventh period Kimmy!" And then raced off to class.

All the way to science, Sammy was staring at me. I said, "What?"

She just laughed, "Nothing. But I'm not usually the one to say that Billy likes you!"

"No he doesn't!" I said.

Sammy just grinned. I told her to shut up. I say that a lot.

In seventh period I felt a piece of paper hit my back. I turned around and saw a piece of someone's homework on the floor. I picked it up and saw that Billy had thrown it. I glanced at it and read what it said. _Wanna go to the dance with me?_

I turned around and looked at Billy. He grinned at me. I pointed at the note and then at me. He nodded. I wrote something on the paper and threw it back to him.

DISCLAIMER: Anything you recognize doesn't belong to me. And I don't own the flash movie, _The Kingdom Heart Chronicles_.


	5. The Dance

CH 5-THE DANCE

It's the day of the dance and I'm _really _nervous. As you can tell, I said yes to Billy so I'm going with him. Danny and Billy are picking Casey and me up in about 15 minutes. I was wearing black jeans, a green Hawthorne Heights shirt, and my black and white checkered slip-on Vans. And I had my hair in a half-ponytail. And I had recently died the tips of my hair red. My mom never knew about it. But it looks pretty awesome. Next year, Casey said he's gonna dye his hair black. And that means I can make him look like Pete Wentz, red streaks and all! Sweet!

Casey and I were sitting on the couch, waiting. I was a nervous wreck and Casey wasn't even _close _to being nervous! No fair! I looked over at him. He was wearing jeans and a Ramones shirt that my mom bought him. I think she likes him better than me because she buys him stuff all the time (he never asks. She just buys stuff for him) and she never buys me anything! Oh and he was wearing a black Silverstein zip-up hoodie. So, his shirt wasn't even noticeable when he zipped it up. And I was wearing my beloved 50 dollar Green Day hoodie.

Casey must've noticed how nervous I was because he went into the kitchen and came back with a blueberry muffin. He gave it to me and said with a laugh, "You're a lot less nervous when you're on a sugar high."

I laughed and took the muffin. "Thanks Energizer Bunny."

"Energizer Bunny?" Casey raised an eyebrow.

"Yep! You remind me of the Energizer Bunny or the drunk pink bunny at Green Day concerts."

"Oh yeah that's _real _nice!" Casey rolled his eyes.

I ate my muffin and with Casey acting all offended and everything (really funny to watch by the way), I wasn't so nervous anymore. I said, "Thanks Casey."

"Um. I dunno what I did but your welcome!"

I laughed, "See, you're hyper! You're the Energizer Bunny!"

Just then we heard the doorbell ring and we both raced to answer it. It was Danny, Billy, and two people named Nick and Olivia. Danny was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, Billy was wearing jeans and a black shirt that said, "I crossed over to the dark side. But don't worry… I brought a flashlight!" I've seen the shirt at Hot Topic.

Anyway, Nick was dressed like Danny but Olivia was more dressed up. Not too much though. Nick had his arm around Olivia's waist. Olivia smiled at me.

Danny said, "So, you guys ready?"

Casey and I said, "Yep!" But before we left, Casey went upstairs to tell Warren that we were leaving. Then he raced back downstairs and we all went out to the Hummer (it wasn't a limo anymore… it was 10 times cooler). It was _so _awesome! Everything was leather or chrome and there were CD players and TVs everywhere! I came prepared and brought my CDs. As soon as everyone was sitting and the driver (he was really cool by the way) started driving towards Marissa's house, where we were picking up Marissa and Sammy, I held up my CDs and asked, "Which 1?"

Nick looked at them and asked, "Who are The Ramones?"

Casey and I looked shocked and exclaimed, "You _don't_ know who The Ramones were?"

I added, "They were only punk rock legends _and _the grandfathers of punk!" And with that said, I put the CD in the CD player and turned the volume way up.

After a few songs (with Casey and I singing the whole time), Nick said, "Hmmm. They're ok."

I just rolled my eyes and then noticed we were on East Jasmine. And man! Is this place awesome! The driver parked in front of Marissa's house and we all got out of the Hummer. Danny rang the bell and the door flew open instantly. I looked inside the house. And man! It was _huge_!

I wasn't the only person looking inside. Everyone else was too. And then suddenly, Sammy was next to Marissa, looking _very _nervous. Everyone talked for a few minutes. Well, everyone except Sammy and Casey (surprisingly). Sammy was looking down at the floor and Casey was busy trying to make eye contact with her.

I started to get kinda bored and then finally we all went out front to the Hummer. As soon as Marissa stepped in she said, "This is the coolest car I've ever been in!"

I had to agree with her. So, I sat next to Billy on the seat in the back, Casey and Sammy sat on one side, Marissa and Danny sat across from them, and Olivia and Nick sat next to Sammy and Casey.

We were all silent as the driver started driving. He asked Danny through a speaker where he should go. Danny told him anywhere. So, we were driving around and everyone finally started talking.

It wasn't too long before Billy started talking with an English accent and started acting like a total idiot! We were all laughing at how stupid he was being and then I said with my best Cockney accent, "You're really bad at English accents. You know that?"

Billy just laughed and then we started arguing, still laughing, and still talking with English accents. Well, mine turned from a Cockney accent to a Scottish accent. No one else in the Hummer knew how to talk with a Scottish or Irish accent so they were all kinda impressed. Billy eventually started shouting stuff out the window to cars at red lights. I was laughing too hard to stop him. And after he did this for 8 red lights, Casey got the bright idea that all the guys should act like pirates! You heard me, pirates!

I groaned. "Oh no. It's official. I'm not related to you, Casey."

"Too bad. You kinda are!" Casey grinned.

So, now all of us girls were laughing at the guys getting carried away at red lights. And trust me, you have _no _idea how idiotic I'm talking about. They were hanging out the windows shouting stuff at passing cars.

I managed to pull Casey and Billy back into the limo and Marissa pulled Danny back in. Olivia got Nick.

When the guys were finally back in the Hummer, I said, "And now you know why Casey Acosta is known as the friggin drunk pink bunny! Or Energizer Bunny!"

It's a good thing that the guys didn't get too carried away because just then the driver basically said that the cops were following us. He stopped the car outside the mall and talked to the police while Billy ran into the mall and came back a little later with a hook hand, a toy parrot, bandanas, and eye patches. He gave the bandanas to us girls, the eye patches to the guys and he kept the rest of the stuff. So, finally we were all acting like pirates and I gave Billy the nickname, "Captain Hook." I was having the best time ever! We stopped by Crispy Chicken for dinner and then we were finally on our way to the dance!

We got to school and instantly, every kid that had been looking at the other 2 white limos came over and crowded around the Hummer. The driver opened the door and we all got out, shouting stuff like "Arg!" and "Gar!" Really stupid, huh?

And that's when Marissa, Sammy, and I spotted Heather and her stupid sidekicks, Monet and Tenille. They were all dressed up like they were going to the prom and Heather had gotten blond streaks in her hair. Bad look for her by the way. Casey noticed how pissed his sister looked and said, "I don't know her."

I laughed as I followed him and the rest of the group inside. Billy and I got in front of Casey and Sammy so we got into the dance first. And when I turned around, I noticed that Casey had his arm around Sammy's waist! I cheered silently and then followed Billy to where everyone else was. Casey and Sammy came a minute later.

We all sat on the ground and exchanged yearbooks. I was surprisingly able to get one. I wrote something short in Nick and Olivia's and then moved on to Billy's. I thought for a minute before saying, "Billy. You have got to be the funniest guy ever! Thanks for inviting me to the dance. –Kimmy." And I put a little smiley next to my name.

I wrote kinda long messages in Sammy and Marissa's and then got to Casey's yearbook. I thought for at least 3 minutes before writing something and passing it on. Finally we were done signing yearbooks. And we all decided to put our yearbooks in the lockers rooms. I didn't have a locker room locker so Marissa let me share with her. All of us girls ran to the girls' locker room and put our yearbooks away. Olivia went somewhere else because she's in eighth grade. So, Marissa, Sammy, and me looked to see what the guys wrote in our yearbooks. Danny didn't write much in mine and Marissa was upset about what he wrote in hers. And then Marissa and I spotted Casey's name in Sammy's yearbook! I grabbed it and flipped to the right page.

Marissa and Sammy read over my shoulder. He had written, "Sammy, you're amazing! –Love, Casey."

"Oh my god!" Marissa and I exclaimed.

Marissa and I started teasing Sammy and eventually she had to shout, "STOP IT!" And that's when Heather came along.

"Is there a problem here," she asked trying to sound innocent.

"Heather, shut up. Miss Poser! I saw you yesterday trying to look all punk! But guess what, it didn't really work out for you." It just slipped out.

That got her all pissed off. But was she pissed off at me or even Sammy? No! She had to go and upset Marissa by telling her that the only reason Danny asked her to the dance was because she was rich! And then she told Sammy that the only reason Casey asked her to the dance was because he wanted to piss his sister off.

Marissa got pissed about that and started yelling stuff back. And she kinda made it real obvious that she was gonna get busted at the dance. Sammy and Marissa had filled me and Dot in on the details yesterday.

When Heather finally went away, Marissa looked upset and said in a small voice, "You think what she said was true?"

Sammy and I said, "Of course not!"

But then as we started walking again, Sammy asked, "You think what she said about Casey was true?"

I looked at her and practically screamed, "Of course not Sammy! I live with him!" I calmed down a bit and continued. "I would know. He's not that kind of person. Casey's someone you can trust. He really likes you Sammy."

Sammy said, "Really? 'Cause I've been trying to figure out Casey's real reason for hanging out with me."

I stopped walking and grabbed Sammy by the shoulders and shook her. "Sammy! Listen to me! The reason Casey hangs out with you is because he's your friend!"

Sammy still looked like she was in denial so I gave up. We walked back to the gym and saw Casey and Danny. Danny said something about Olivia and Nick dancing for the past half hour.

The DJ turned on the music. I hated the first song so I didn't dance. Billy was busy entertaining a bunch of girls with his parrot. And Casey and Sammy were looking like total idiots because of the way they were dancing! But I laughed anyway. Finally, I decided to get up finally and request the next song. The first song ended and my favorite Panic! at the Disco song came on! It's called, "The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide is Press Coverage."

Casey loves the song too but we were the only people singing and air guitaring. We didn't care.

Sit tight, I'm gonna need you to keep time 

_Come on just snap, snap, snap your fingers for me _

_Good, good now we're makin' some progress_

_Come on just tap, tap, tap, your toes to the beat_

_And I believe_

_This may call for a proper introduction _

_And well_

_Don't you see_

_I'm the narrator and this is just the prologue_

_Swear to shake it up if you'll swear to listen_

_Oh we're still so young_

_Desperate for attention_

_I aim to be_

_Your eyes, trophy boys, trophy wives_

_Swear to shake it up if you'll swear to listen_

_Oh we're still so young_

_Desperate for attention_

_I aim to be_

_Your eyes, trophy boys, trophy wives_

_Applause, applause_

_No wait wait_

_Dear studio audience, I've an announcement to make_

_It seems the artists these days are not who you think_

_So we'll pick back up on that on another page_

_And I believe_

_This may call for a proper introduction_

_And well_

_Don't you see_

_I'm the narrator and this is just the prologue_

_Swear to shake it up if you'll swear to listen_

_Oh we're still so young_

_Desperate for attention_

_I aim to be_

_Your eyes, trophy boys, trophy wives_

A few other people started dancing eventually, Sammy included. The song ended and then I decided to sit down for a little bit. A few songs later (Casey and Sammy _still _acting like total idiot), I recognized a song that I knew Casey had requested. Billy sat down next to me. "Hey Kimmy. Having fun?" He asked me.

"This is the most fun I've had in my whole life!" I said back. "But I don't really like slow songs that much."

"Me either."

Billy and I sat in silence for a minute and watched everyone else. I saw Casey and Sammy slow dancing and thought to myself, '_Kiss her Casey!_' They looked so cute together!

And that's when it happened. Casey looked like he was going to kiss Sammy…

DISCLAIMER: First off, the song "The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide is Press Coverage" belongs to the awesome band Panic! at the Disco. Anything else you recognize belongs to Wendelin Van Draanen.

A/N: Hope you guys liked this chapter! I'm really sorry for not updating for so long. Oh and I didn't use the whole Panic! at the Disco song. And last but not least, REVIEW!


	6. Over Caffinated

CH 6

Well, Casey didn't kiss Sammy. And Marissa and I were pissed about it 'cause we both want Casey and Sammy to kiss already! Marissa came up to Billy and me and said, "Did you see that? Sammy and Casey almost kissed!" 

"I know! Why didn't he kiss her?" I thought about that… Casey _did _like Sammy but he seemed more like someone that doesn't kiss a girl suddenly. Unless he's high off something… but that's totally unlike Casey too.

The song ended and suddenly I spotted Sammy coming our way. Instantly, Marissa and I stood up and ran over to Sammy. Marissa grabbed her shoulders and both of us said, "Oh my God Sammy! Casey looked like he was gonna _kiss_ you!"

Sammy basically told us to shut up. I rolled my eyes and said, "Fine be like that."

I got a laugh out of her and Marissa. But then suddenly Marissa grabbed my arm and said, "I think Mrs. Ambler's about to announce the class personalities!"

Marissa, Holly, Dot, and I had come up with a plan involving that and Sammy so I instantly got excited. Mrs. Ambler started announcing the awards. She got to class clown and announced Billy as the SCHOOL clown! I started up a chorus of "Bil-ly! Bil-ly! Bil-ly!" And soon everyone joined in. Billy walked up to Mrs. Ambler on his hands! And when he got there, he said something in an English accent and kissed her on the cheek. That cracked everyone up!

It was finally time for the whole "most popular," "friendliest 7th grader…" everything that Heather wanted to win. She didn't win a single 1! And you could see her getting more pissed off by the second. And finally Mrs. Ambler said, "And now it's time to give out the award for "Most Unique Style." Marissa and I grinned at each other. We had come up with a foolproof plan that involved pretty much everyone in our group.

"And the award for "Most Unique Style" goes to…" Mrs. Ambler paused, "Sammy Keyes!"

Marissa and I cheered while Sammy just stood there in total shock. Mrs. Ambler said, "Sammy? Sammy? Are you there?"

I pushed Sammy and said, "Go up there! Go!"

Sammy got her award without a single word she was so shocked. "How did this happen?"

"Holly, Dot, Kimmy, and I had all of our friends submit write-ins after we all agreed that you definitely have the most unique style outta everyone in this school!" Marissa explained. She hugged Sammy. But then I tapped Sammy on the shoulder.

"Holy heart-grenade!" I said. I've learned not to cuss because otherwise Marissa or Casey slaps me upside the head. And I didn't wanna have a headache 'cause Marissa hits hard!

"What's up?" Casey asked.

"Let's just put it this way: It's the evil one."

Heather was running towards Sammy and looked ready to kill. Casey being the cool person he is, stuck up for Sammy but that must've been embarrassing because she told him to back off. By now, a circle had formed around Heather and Sammy and some idiot shouted, "Chick fight! Yeah!" He was right behind me so I elbowed him in the stomach so that he'd shut up. And he did. But not before muttering a few cusses. I turned around and glared at him and basically told him, "Shut the hell up," in Hebrew. I'll explain more about that in a later chapter.

Heather was going on about how Sammy didn't deserve to win "Most unique style" and a whole bunch of other crap while trying to beat up Sammy… she failed miserably. I could just tell that Sammy was dying to punch Heather in the nose but she didn't. Hell, I would have punched Heather in a second. Make that half a second… She just pisses me off so much! And her friends Tenille and Monet are even worse! And I swear Tenille stalks Casey but that may just be me seeing things.

Okay getting sidetracked… as usual. Anyway, you wouldn't believe the crap Heather said to Sammy. And Sammy handled it surprisingly well. And then Casey got involved… well kinda. Sammy stopped him from doing anything stupid… which is a good thing 'cause Casey can do some stupid things.

Once Vice Principal Caan sorted everything out, everyone went back to dancing. I jumped onstage, grabbed the mic, and handed the DJ a CD. "Since we're going with this whole pirate theme, here's another pirate song." The song started and I started singing.

We are the pirates 

_Who don't do anything_

_We just stay at home_

_And lie around_

And if you ask us 

_To do anything_

_We'll just tell you_

_We don't do anything_

By now Billy had come onstage, put his arm around my shoulders and started singing in a perfect Pa Grape voice.

_Well I've never been to Greenland and I've never been to Denver_

_And I've never buried treasure in St. Louis or St. Paul_

_And I've never been to Moscow _

_And I've never been to Tampa_

_And I've never been to Boston in the fall_

We sang the chorus and then I did a perfect Mr. Lunt imitation while singing

_And I never hoist the mainstay_

_And I never swabbed the poop deck_

_And I never veer to starboard 'cause I never sail at all_

_And I've never walked the gangplank_

_And I've never owned a parrot_

_And I've never been to Boston in the fall_

We sang the chorus again and then we both did our Larry the Cucumber imitations and sang:

_Well I've never plucked a rooster _

_And I'm not too good at ping-pong_

_And I've never thrown my mashed potatoes up against the wall  
And I've never kissed a chipmunk_

_And I've never gotten head lice_

_And I've never been to Boston in the fall_

Now it came to the talking. So Billy was Pa Grape and I was Mr. Lunt.

Billy: Huh? What're you talking about? What's a rooster and mashed potatoes have to do with being a pirate?

Me: Hey. That's right! We're supposed to be singing about pirate-y things

Me (as Larry): Oh.

Billy: And who's ever kissed a chipmunk? That's just nonsense! Why even bring it up? Am I right? What do you think?

Me: I think _you _look like Cap'n Crunch!

Billy: What? No I don't!

Me: Do to.

Billy: Do not!

Me: You're making me hungry.

Billy: That's it! You're walking the plank!

Me: Oh yeah! Says who?

Billy: Says the captain! That's who!

Me: Oh yeah! Aye aye Cap'n Crunch! Tee hee hee!

Billy: Arg!

Me: Yikes!

By now everyone was laughing. Billy and I starting singing again in out Larry voices. This was fun!

_And I've never licked a spark plug_

_And I've never sniffed a stinkbug_

_And I've never painted daisies on a big red rubber ball_

_And I've never bathed in yogurt_

_And I don't look good in leggings_

Billy as Pa Grape: You just don't get it.

_And we've never been to Boston in the fall_

Everyone started cheering and clapping! Billy and I took a bow and hopped off stage and went back to our group. Marissa hugged me. "That was awesome!"

"No hugging!" I said with a laugh.

Mrs. Ambler started talking to the mic. "Thank you Billy and Kimmy for that interesting performance but now it's time to bring the Farewell Dance to an end."

We all got our stuff and then headed out to the limo, Billy and I still singing "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything."

Casey laughed and said, "You guys sound like you're drunk!" He turned to Danny. "Don't they sound drunk?"

Danny shook his head. "No. They just sound over caffinated."

Billy and I then started singing, "We Are the Champions" by Queen really off-key. We finally got to the limo and after waking up the driver we pulled away from the school. And then the guys had quite an interesting argument about Billy, his bucket o' bones, and ice blocking.

A/N: Sorry for not updating in forever! Hope you guys like it. Review! Oh and the whole "over caffinated" thing actually happened! My friends and I refer to our friend Ivy's birthday party as the "Over caffinated birthday party" 'cause we called 91X and I was holding up the phone while Ivy, Buttons, and everyone else sang "We Are the Champions" off-key and then I asked Mookie (Hi Mookie!) , "Don't they sound drunk?" And he said, "No. They just sound over caffinated" So, no stealing any of those quotes! Oh and my beta reader never actually sent this back but I was so impatient that I _had_ to update!

DISCLAIMER: Van Drannen owns in all! Well, except Kimmy. I own her. And Mike Nawrocki and Phil Vischer own all the Veggie-Tales stuff. Veggie-Tales rocks! **Starts singing** "When I was just two years old, I left my lips out in the cold and they turned blue. What could I do?" Oh and "We Are The Champions" belongs to Queen.


	7. I Must Be Emo

SEPTEMBER

Summer went by really fast. Casey and I spent a lot of time with Sammy (we ran into them when we were backpacking up in Vista Ridge). But Marissa, Holly, and Dot were busy all summer so it was mostly just me and Casey.

I am happy to report that Casey has finally, _finally_ embraced his inner emoness. So that means he's changed a lot (look-wise that is). So have I. Over the summer we got haircuts. Casey hair is now shorter and spikier in back, mine is about chin length and layered, and we both got side swept bangs. We also dyed our hair. Casey dyed his black and I added red streaks to his bangs. I dyed mine dark almost black cherry-ish purple. It looks awesome!

Casey and I have also gotten rid of our old clothes and have since then stocked up on skinny jeans, band shirts, eyeliner, hoodies, terry cloth wristbands, studded belts, and CDs (Thanks to me, Casey now actually listens to _good_ music and has started playing drums). For me that list also includes ballet flats, a few miniskirts, footless tights, various tote bags, eyeshadow, funky earrings, cute tops, headbands, and other emo essentials to actually look like a girl. Basically, now I'm girlie without being "preppy". New school year, new town, new me. The real me. I've always listened to emo bands and worn band shirts but now I'm taking it up a notch. Now I've embraced the emo culture.

"Kimmy! Casey! You better get moving now if you wanna get to school on time!" My mom shouted from downstairs.

"Be down in a minute!" I said, putting the last touches on my makeup, heavy black eyeliner with purple eyeshadow. I checked myself in the mirror. My hair was okay, my makeup looked great, I was ready to start the new school year. I grabbed my backpack and ran downstairs with my skateboard.

Casey was already downstairs with his skateboard. "Ready?" He asked.

I nodded and we headed out the door. We decided to ride our skateboards to school at least for today. This was partly because my overprotective mom wanted Casey to make sure I got to school on time. And the only way for him to do that was to not take the bus, since he's in high school now.

We were riding our boards when I asked, "So, you gonna ask Sammy out this year?"

Casey shrugged. "I dunno if she's gonna like the new me."

"No girl can resist an emo guy."

"It's Sammy."

"Oh right." I thought for a minute. "Well Sammy's not one to judge people by looks. And you haven't changed personality-wise."

"I hope you're right."

"Marissa will convince her."

Casey changed the subject.

We got to the middle school within an hour. School didn't start for another half an hour. And Casey started school late today so he had another _two _full hours.

Marissa, Sammy, Dot, and Holly were standing on the front steps, catching up after a summer apart. Marissa spotted me and Casey first. "Ohmigod! Kimmy!" She ran and hugged me. I've become a much more "huggy" person so I didn't mind.

"Hey Marissa!" I said.

She pulled back. "You look _so _cute!"

I looked down at myself: skinny jeans, gray Paramore shirt, purple zip-up hoodie with music notes and stars all over it, black and white skull ballet flats, black and white skull headband, and makeup. "Yeah. It's a change from last year."

Holly, Dot, and Sammy had joined our little group. I hugged all of them and Dot squealed over how "cute" I looked. Casey just stood in the background.

Sammy noticed him first. "Hey Casey. Wow. You look... different."

He did look different. His bangs were straightened and he was wearing a black Aiden shirt with skinny jeans, a black zip-up hoodie (unzipped), and a pair of black and white Vans slip-ons. And he had on black eyeliner, which he actually looked good in surprisingly.

Casey held his arms open for a hug and asked, "Good or bad different?"

Sammy hugged him and said, "Good different. It'll just take some getting used to."

Sammy had changed quite a bit as well. Marissa had obviously gotten a hold of her and changed her look. She was girlie without being "preppy", like me. And she was wearing _makeup_! It was enough to have to get used to the fact that she was wearing a girl tee and a pair of Marissa's skinny jeans (well most likely Marissa's).

Casey smiled at Sammy and said, "You look nice."

She smiled back. "Thanks. Marissa held me hostage all summer."

"I can tell."

They laughed while Marissa, Dot, and I looked at each other and squealed. They looked _so _cute together! Then I turned to Holly and said, "By the way, you're next in line to get a makeover."

Holly backed away and put on a face of mock horror. "No! Anything but that!"

We all laughed about that. Casey looked over at us. "Hey Marissa, hi Holly, hey Dot!"

They said, "Hey Casey!"

Marissa ran and hugged him and Dot followed her lead. Afterwards, Casey told Holly, "What? No hug? I haven't seen any of you since school ended!"

Holly laughed and finally gave in. She hugged Casey.

"That's more like it," he said, grinning. "So, what'd you guys do all summer?"

We all got into the different stories of our summer. Marissa went to Vegas, Sammy solved a case (which Casey and I helped with), Holly took a road trip in an RV, and Dot went to Holland.

Before we knew it, Billy had joined the circle too. He flashed me a smile and winked. "Looking good, Kimmy."

"Thanks Billy." I smiled. Guys never notice me. And yeah, sure, Billy had taken me to the Farewell Dance last year but guys have never commented on how I _look_. It felt nice to get complimented.

Eventually I had to go get my schedule but as soon as that was done I went back to my friends and we kept talking.

The bell finally rang and we all had to say bye to Casey. He said, "Well, you guys get out later than I do and technically I'm not even s'posed to be on campus so can you guys come over to the high school after you get out?"

We, meaning Marissa, Holly, Dot, Sammy, and I, all nodded. Then we hugged Casey and said goodbye before getting to class. "Don't piss off the teachers, Kim!" Casey shouted after me.

"I won't!" I laughed.

I had homeroom with Sammy and Marissa again. It looked like they planned their schedules together because they had every class together! I had to ask. "Did you guys plan your schedules together?"

Marissa laughed. "Actually, surprisingly no. This was all coincidental."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. Oh and I almost forgot!" We were at our classroom now so we went inside and sat down in desks that were adjacent to each other. Marissa turned in her seat and continued talking. "Casey is such a freakin' hottie now!"

Sammy and I cracked up. Sammy said, "I normally would never say this but he _is_ pretty cute."

Marissa and I said, "Awww! Sammy loves Casey!"

"I never said that!"

Marissa said, "But it's so obvious!"

"_And_ you two would be _so_ amazingly cute together!" I added.

Sammy rolled her eyes. "I _don't_ like Casey Acosta!"

"Right. Mmhmm. Sure. Whatever you say, Sammy," Marissa and I replied.

"You guys are hopeless."

Marissa changed the subject... somewhat. "I didn't even think it was possible for Casey get even hotter than he was last year?"

"You can thank me for giving him an emo makeover," I said.

"His hair looks awesome. Your's does too by the way. I love the color."

"Thanks. I like yours too." Marissa's hair is normally curly but she had straightened it and gotten it cut shorter over the summer.

"And your shoes are adorable!"

"I know, aren't they?"

"When did we start talking about shoes?" Sammy asked.

I shrugged. "It just kinda happened."

We laughed about that for a bit before the last bell rang. So far, no Heather. Yessssss! At least she's not in my homeroom.

The teacher assigned us seats and read the morning announcements before it was time for first period. For me that's English with Miss Pilson. Apparently she teaches seventh _and_ eighth grade English.

I said bye to Sammy and Marissa and went to English. Dot and Holly were in my class this time. The first thing Dot did was grab my shoulders and said, "When did Casey get so hot?"

"Over the summer...?" I said slowly. "What is with you guys? You act like you've never seen an emo guy before."

"Emo? That's what you call it?"

"Yeah. That's what you normally call people who wear eyeliner, band shirts, and skinny jeans that listen to emo music and can't get a date."

"I wouldn't know about any of that stuff. All the guys here are ghetto or jocks."

I pulled a face. "You guys have been seriously deprived of hot guys at this school. There were a ton of emo guys and scene kids at my old school."

"Were all of them as hot as Casey?"

"Well I don't think Casey's hot considering I'm now related to the guy but I will say this: Hellz yeah they were hot!"

Dot and Holly started cracking up at my "hellz yeah". That's so much fun to say.

The best part of today happened at lunch. Dot glanced over my shoulder and said, "Billy's watching you."

"He is?" I turned around. He _was_ watching me. But he looked away quickly, thinking I hadn't seen him. I turned back around. "You think he likes me? Or do you think he just thinks I'm hot?"

Marissa said, "I think a little of both."

Holly said, "He did seem to like you last year."

Sammy added, "He _did_ like you. It was totally obvious."

Dot said, "He seems kinda shy around you. It's so weird. Billy's never like that. That's how we know that he likes you."

"Shy? He winked at me this morning."

"Ok, maybe not shy. But he _does_ act sorta differently around you. You know, he's flirting. Not just being typical Billy."

I looked over my shoulder again. "He _is _pretty cute."

We went back to eating. Right before lunch ended, Billy came and sat down next to me and said, "Hey Kimmy. I got two extra tickets to see Paramore next week and I wanted to know if you and Casey wanted to go."

"I'd love to! How the fuck did you know who my favorite band was?"

"I thought it was Green Day?"

"Oh it still is. But Paramore's a close second."

He laughed. "Great. It's a date then. Ask Casey if he wants to go."

"Will do. Thanks Billy!"

"No problem." He hugged me and then left.

As soon as he was out of earshot, I squealed. "I have a date with Billy!"

Sammy said, "But Casey's gonna be there too, isn't he?"

"Doesn't matter. Still a date!"

"I've never seen you this happy before," Holly said.

"I can't help it. I'm going to a show with a cute guy! And the band playing is the best! And the venue that they're playing at is the best! It's the equivalence of Soma in San Diego! So we can get totes close to the stage!"

"Totes?" Dot asked.

"Sorry. Totally. I also say 'whatevs' instead of 'whatever', 'most deffs' instead of most definitely, and 'howevs' instead of 'however'."

"Oooh. I get it."

The bell rang and we all raced to class.

After school, Marissa, Holly, Dot, Sammy, and I all went down to the high school. Sammy, Holly, and I rode our skateboards and Marissa rode her bike with Dot on the handlebars. I felt sorry for Dot.

Casey was sitting outside when they got there. He grinned. "Hey guys. How was the first day of school?"

"Amazing!" I said. "Billy has extra tickets to see Paramore. You coming?"

"Hellz yeah!" Casey said. He picked that up from me.

"Sweet. I'll let him know.

We all started talking and before we knew it, Holly left for her volunteer job at the Humane Society and Dot had called her dad to pick her up. It was just me, Casey, Sammy, and Marissa. But pretty soon Marissa left too.

Casey and Sammy were sitting next to each other. Casey was asking, "So, how bad was it dealing with Heather?"

"Pretty bad. She's in my second and third period classes. But she didn't bother me at lunch."

"That's good." They fell silent for a few minutes before Casey said, "Hey Sammy?"

"Yeah?" She looked up at him.

"I was wondering. Will you go out with me this weekend?"

Sammy was stunned. I tapped her and said, "Sammy. Breathe."

She blinked a few times and finally said, "Um. Yeah. That'd be great!"

Casey grinned. "Awesome. I'll call you later then."

"Cool. I'd better get going." Sammy hugged him and then me before picking up her skateboard and leaving.

I looked over at Casey. "Are you like squealing like a girl inside?"

"Maybe."

I laughed. "Mazel tov on finally asking Sammy out."

"Mazel tov?"

"I'm practicing for Hebrew school."

"But you already speak fluent Hebrew."

"Well whatevs. I just felt like saying 'mazel tov' cuz it's a fun word to say and this was the perfect opportunity 'cause it means 'congrats'."

Casey shook his head and laughed. "C'mon Kim. We'd better get going before your mom kicks my ass."

Casey and I headed home, singing "Bitchin' Camaro" by The Dead Milkmen. "Bitchin' Camaro! Bitchin' Camaro! I ran over my neighbors. Bitchin' Camaro! Bitchin' Camaro! Now I'm in all the papers."

**A/N**: What'd you guys think? Sorry for the wait. This wasn't even how I pictured chapter 3 but I like how it turned out. Read and review!

**DISCLAIMER**: WVD owns the characters except Kimmy. The Dead Milkmen own "Bitchin' Camaro".


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